Tuesday, August 07, 2001
Agassi loses cool, match
No. 56 Gaudio pulls first-round shocker
By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Steffi Graf couldn't help Andre Agassi Monday night.
(Steven M. Herppich photos)
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MASON - Andre Agassi is the points leader in the season-long Champions Race. But he looked like a club player Monday.
Such is the nature of men's tennis today, when even the top players must be on top of their games or risk an early exit. Gaston Gaudio, ranked 56th in the world, beat Agassi 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati first-round match.
“You can't go out there against anybody these days and have an easy match,” Agassi said.
“Every tournament varies. In the early rounds, you've got to find a way to grind through it. You've got to step up and beat these guys.”
For the second straight week, Agassi didn't. Coming off a title in Los Angeles on July 29, Agassi lost in the first round of Tennis Masters Series Montreal to qualifier Ivan Ljubicic.
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TODAY'S GUIDE
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Gaston Gaudio in the biggest win of his career.
• Schedule, results
• Tickets: 11 a.m., 7 p.m. ($18). Call 651-0303 or TicketMaster at 562-4949.
• Television: 1-3 p.m., ESPN (live)
• The bracket
• Ladies Day: There is a brunch featuring the modeling of sportswear and designer-label fashions. It costs $18 for the brunch, $34 for the brunch and that day's matches. Call 651-0303 for information.
• High School Tennis Day: There will be an on-court clinic and Skyline Chili lunch for $18 a person, including the day's matches ($16 a person for groups larger than 10; $14 for groups larger than 20). Call 651-0303 for information.
• More Masters facts
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Gaudio, a 22-year-old clay court specialist from Argentina, called this the biggest victory of his career.
“I was running too much, and he doesn't like that,” Gaudio said. “He turned a little bit crazy.”
Besides Gaudio's mobility, Agassi had problems on his own side of the net.
“I never quite settled into my shots,” said Agassi, seeded second. “It's been tough.
I've built a lot of my game on shot control, and the ball's just not going where I'm hitting it. It was just coming hot off the racket. I pulled my racket back, and it was like a live wire.
“To make up for that, I try to play a little extra safe at times and then I get into trouble or just make the errors. He stepped up and kept me out of my rhythm.”
In the world rankings, based on the past 52 weeks, Agassi stands second to Gustavo Kuerten. He led Kuerten 610 points to 570 in the Champions Race entering this tournament, but if Kuerten reaches the semifinals this week he will pass Agassi for the lead.
Agassi is 22-9 here, but he has lost his first or second match in seven of his 12 appearances. He is just 5-5 here since winning the second of his back-to-back titles in 1996.
Agassi loses to unseeded Gaudio.
(AP photo)
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Agassi led 4-1 at one point in the second set. But when serving at 4-2, he grew angry after a double-fault and smashed a ball out of the stadium, drawing a warning from chair umpire Steve Ullrich.
At deuce, Agassi then double-faulted again and drew another code violation from Ullrich for an audible obscenity. As a second violation, that included an automatic point penalty that gave Gaudio the game.
“I was really frustrated,” Agassi said. “Giving a point penalty for an audible, that's a judgment call.”
On a lighter note, Agassi talked of planning marriage with Steffi Graf, who was in attendance.
“There are no set plans, but obviously marriage is something we're both very focused on,” he said. “We want it to happen.”
Agassi and Graf have learned that the baby they are expecting will be a boy.
“It's quite an exciting and overwhelming thing,” he said.
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Agassi loses cool, match